Synergistic effect of cobalt ferrite-graphene oxide based hyperthermia and capsaicin to induce apoptosis and inhibit telomerase activity in breast cancer cells

Capsaicin is a bioactive phytochemical of red and chili peppers. It has shown therapeutic properties, including anticancer activities. In this study, the potential anti-telomerase effect of capsaicin, as well as synergic inhibitory effect of this compound in combination with cobalt ferrite-graphene oxide nanocomposites was investigated on breast cancer cell line. For this purpose, cobalt ferrite/graphene oxide (CoFe₂O₄/GO) nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized. Then, the effect of different concentrations of capsaicin and CoFe₂O₄/GO nanoparticles, and their combination on the breast adenocarcinoma cell lines (MCF-7 and MCF-10A) were analyzed using MTT assay and quantitative real-time PCR for assessing their effect on the cell viability and the expression changes in telomerase reverse transcriptase (tert), Bax and Bcl2 genes, respectively. The results showed a synergistic effect of capsaicin and CoFe₂O₄/GO NPs on MCF-7 cell lines that reduced the IC50 value from 0.1 and 1 mg/ml for capsaicin and CoFe₂O₄/GO nanoparticles, to 0.05 and 0.5 mg ml⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, telomerase and bcl2 genes expression decreased after capsaicin and CoFe₂O₄/GO NPs treatment; while in contrast, bax gene expression significantly increased. Consequently, capsaicin and CoFe₂O₄/GO NPs treatment could induce apoptosis and inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. In conclusion, combinational treatment with capsaicin and CoFe₂O₄/GO NPs could be considered as an efficient therapeutic regimen for breast cancer.